by Allan Maclaren

Created on: March 03, 2009

There are numerous articles and books on preparing for a job interview. A critical aspect is the image you project at the interview. If you are called for an interview, it usually means that your resume has convinced someone to look further and spend valuable time talking to you. Understand the dress and grooming culture of the company you are applying to. Some tolerate casual dress all week, some only on Casual Friday, and some not at all.

This is where the first impression is critical. You want the interviewer to focus on what you say, NOT how you are dressed or how you look. You must understand what the customary standards are for the job you want: grooming, dress, appearance. If you can, loiter near the entrance and watch employees as they enter. How are they dressed? How do they look? Better, have a friend that can walk you through the company on a visit.

Now is not the time to insist on some personal preference in your dress or grooming.

If you are a male and everyone else seems to be clean-shaven, get a haircut and shave the beard. Hair will grow back and so will beards after you get the job. Shoes, not sandals or sneakers; shirt with a collar, clean clothes. No aftershave, use rubbing alcohol. Some people are overly sensitive to cologne or after-shave. No point in risk offending them.

If you are a woman, appearance can be even more critical. Again, you do not want the interviewer to focus on or be distracted by your appearance. Wear comfortable shoes, not exceptionally high heels; no perfume; a hair-do that reflects a recent trip to the salon; conservative dress. A display of cleavage is not recommended. Don't overload yourself with jewelry: less is more.

If you are applying for job that involves face-to-face customer contact, understand how the customer will react to your dress and grooming. A fast food job is worlds away from selling insurance to retirees.

Finally, think about your speech habits. Practice an interview with a close friend. Ask the friend to watch for slang, poor grammar, and sloppy answers. Many of us have fallen into careless habits, "you knows" and similar little phrases that have little meaning but will sound bad to an interviewer.

Some of the above may sound like you must give up some of your personality. Perhaps. But your goal is to get the job. Then you can determine how much of your real personality can be allowed to flourish. Ideally you want to resemble your interviewer as much as possible.

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